Scots outdoor centres to close under post-Christmas restrictions

DIY stores and garden centres are to close down under the Level 4 restrictions across mainland Scotland from next week, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said.

Nicola Sturgeon said measures were "absolutely necessary"

The SNP leader told MSPs at Holyrood today there was a need to "narrow" the definition of essential retail in order to halt the spread of the virus across Scotland amid concerns over the emergence of the new variant.

Ms Sturgeon insisted that the decision to impose the three-week level 4 lockdown across much of the country from Boxing Day was a "absolutely necessary."

Outdoor centres had been allowed to remain open under previous Level 4 restrictions, but this will now change.

"Given the severity of the situation we face and the need to limit interactions as much as possible, we intend to define essential retail more narrowly than we have done recently," Ms Sturgeon said.

"In short, that means homeware stores and garden centres will be classed as non essential and will therefore require to close, with the exception of click and collect."

The prevalence of Covid 19 in Scotland is lower than elsewhere in the UK, with 116 new cases per 100,000 north of the border - half the prevalence of England and one fifth of that in Wales.

Ms Sturgeon said these figures alone would not be enough to justify the post-Christmas restrictions, but the emergence of the new variant has changed the situation.

"I know many people may question if these measures are strictly necessary, especially given Scotland’s relatively low level of prevalence, compared to other parts of the UK," Ms Sturgeon added.

"My firm judgment is that they are necessary.

“They are not simply as a response to our current situation, but necessary precautionary measures to avoid a significant deterioration in our situation, caused by this new strain, over the next few weeks.

"In short, these measures are necessary to protect our NHS and save lives.

"I do not expect a single person to be happy about them. But I ask everyone to try to understand that these decisions would not have been taken if we did not consider them essential."

A message from the Editor:Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.